Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparkes Named the 2004 WNBA Most Valuable Player Presented by General Motors

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NEW YORK, October 8  The WNBA announced today that Lisa
Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks has been named the recipient of the 2004
WNBA Most Valuable Player Award presented by General Motors.

In conjunction with the award, Leslie will receive $15,000 from the league
and a new 2005 GMC Yukon compliments of General Motors. An inaugural league
partner, General Motors has sponsored the WNBA MVP Award since 1997 and has
awarded the winner a new General Motors vehicle each season.

Leslie received 425 points and 33 of a possible 48 first-place votes from a
national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Seattles Lauren Jackson,
the 2003 WNBA MVP, finished second with 351 points, while 2004 WNBA Rookie of
the Year Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury and the Houston Comets Tina
Thompson tied for third with 126 points. Media participating in the voting were
asked to select their top five choices for the award, with 10 points awarded
for a first-place vote, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth and
one for fifth.

Lisa Leslie led Los Angeles to a league-best 25-9 record and played her best
basketball following the Olympic break, averaging 22.8 points and 9.5 rebounds
while shooting 59.1 percent from the field. Leslie led the WNBA in rebounding
(9.9), blocked shots (2.88) and double-doubles (17), while ranking third in
scoring (17.6) and field-goal percentage (49.4).

General Motors is active with the WNBA all season long as the sponsor of the
Player of the Game award for all nationally televised games. GM donates $1,000
to the Make-A-Wish foundation on behalf of each winner.

On September 9, Leslie became only the third player in WNBA history to record
a triple-double as she finished with a game-high 29 points, 15 rebounds and
a WNBA record-tying 10 blocked shots against the Detroit Shock. This season,
Leslie became the first player in WNBA history to reach the 4,000 point and
2,000 rebound plateaus. She currently ranks first in the league in all-time
scoring (4,215) and rebounding (2,292), second in blocks (564), ninth in steals
(309) and 16th in assists (550).

Below are the complete results of the 2004 WNBA Most Valuable Player presented
by General Motors vote and a list of past recipients.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER PRESENTED BY GENERAL MOTORS: 2004 VOTING RESULTS

Votes

Player

Team

425

Lisa Leslie

Los Angeles Sparks

351

Lauren Jackson

Seattle Storm

126

Tina Thompson

Houston Comets

126

Diana Taurasi

Phoenix Mercury

55

Tamika Catchings

Indiana Fever

40

Swin Cash

Detroit Shock

38

Nykesha Sales

Connecticut Sun

34

Yolanda Griffith

Sacramento Monarchs

21

Katie Smith

Minnesota Lynx

12

Becky Hammon

New York Liberty

6

Taj McWilliams-Franklin

Connecticut Sun

6

Sue Bird

Seattle Storm

3

Dawn Staley

Charlotte Sting

3

Deanna Nolan

Detroit Shock

1

Nikki Teasley

Los Angeles Sparks

1

Alana Beard

Washington Mystics

PREVIOUS MOST VALUABLE PLAYER WINNERS

Year

Player

Team

2003

Lauren Jackson

Seattle Storm

2002

Sheryl Swoopes

Houston Comets

2001

Lisa Leslie

Los Angeles Sparks

2000

Sheryl Swoopes

Houston Comets

1999

Yolanda Griffith

Sacramento Monarchs

1998

Cynthia Cooper

Houston Comets

1997

Cynthia Cooper

Houston Comets

The WNBA Finals will be shown exclusively on ESPN2 beginning on Friday, October
8 at 7:30 P.M. from Connecticut's Mohegan Sun Arena. Game 2 will be televised
from Seattles Key Arena on Sunday, October 10 at 7 P.M. with Game 3, if
necessary, being shown from Seattle on Tuesday, October 12 at 9 P.M.

Video

Last week, Lauren Hill of Mount St. Joseph University courageously took the floor for her first college game, refusing to let an inoperable brain tumor keep her from achieving her dream – and WNBA stars Elena Delle Donne and Tamika Catchings were on hand to lend their support.